Moving On
by reilert79
Summary: Chris, David and Miranda move into their new Penthouse; Chris and David go head to head with one of Miranda's teachers; Chris and Miranda have a "kodak" moment.


Moving On

***Chris and David's apartment***

It is Monday, the week of January 24. It has been 4 weeks since Chris got her reconstructive surgery.

This was the week that Chris, David and Miranda were moving into their penthouse.

Today, a packing company was coming to pack their apartment.

Chris woke up when her alarm went off, and went to wake Miranda up. She jumped in the shower and then got dressed, and went to make breakfast for everyone.

Miranda had cordoned off one section of her room that wasn't to be packed. Everything else was fair game.

She was making a list for the packers that basically said that everything in the cabinets under the sink could be packed, and everything in the shower or on top of the counter needed to stay. Everything on her bed needed to stay and everything else needed to be packed.

Chris made them breakfast, and after Miranda was done, she took her to school, and then came back. David had just let the packers in.

Chris and David were emptying cabinets and putting stuff out that could be packed, and going through things.

By the time lunch came around, they were almost halfway done with the packing. The movers were going to be there on Friday to move the rest of the stuff and the furniture to the penthouse.

David ordered them salads from the salad place for lunch. Chris figured they were going to be eating out a lot for the next few days, so she went ahead and packed the fridge contents into coolers.

"Honey, can we take boxes to the penthouse tonight?"

"Sure, that's a good idea."

David started stacking the boxes against the wall, and Chris put all of the paper products into one cabinet for them to use for the next few days.

The only groceries she left in the fridge were milk and eggs and cheese. She left cereal in the cabinet for Miranda.

She went into the bedroom and packed her clothes into garment bags and suitcases, and set some clothes aside to wear the next few days.

She left to pick up Miranda from school.

Miranda stated she was hungry, so they stopped and got a snack and then came home.

The apartment was virtually empty, except for the bare basics.

Fun times ahead, for sure.

The packers left around 5. David had arranged for a moving company to come at 6 and load a truck with the boxes and take them to the new place. They were also going to take the coolers, and the clothes.

"Miranda- you have a choice. We are going to the new apartment and we are going to be unpacking for several hours. If you want to come and get started on your room, that's fine. Or, you can stay here, and do homework, and order dinner in".

"I'm staying".

"Good choice". David pulled out $40 and put it on the counter for her to order dinner.

As soon as the movers arrived, they moved swiftly. They loaded the truck in about 30 minutes. They each had dollies and they loaded the service elevator, and then took the regular one to the ground floor, and called the service one. It only took two trips to get the truck fully loaded.

They followed Chris and David over to the new house, and unloaded the truck in about 30 minutes, and then took another 20 minutes to sort the boxes into the designated rooms.

Chris was in awe of the new penthouse. This was her first time being there, and seeing it all finished. She absolutely loved it. She loved the hardwood floors, and she was so excited about the kitchen, and the terrace they had created.

She set about unloading the coolers into the fridge and organizing the refrigerator. After that was done, she began to organize the cabinets.

Next, she went and hung her clothes up in the closet, and put the boxes of clothes for her dresser on the closet floor.

David got the office all organized, and his closet. He hung two TV's, and got the Apple TV's hooked up to them.

They finished around 9 p.m., and headed home. They stopped and got Mexican for dinner, and took it with them. Chris was absolutely and totally exhausted, and didn't know whether or not she would make it through dinner without falling asleep.

When they got home, they saw that Miranda had ordered Mexican too. She had just gotten out of the shower, and she was ready to eat some more, so they all sat and ate together.

Afterwards, Chris headed to take a nice, long, hot shower. She put on her pajamas, and headed straight to bed.

She was asleep long before David even came in there, even though he was only about 20 minutes behind her.

***Tuesday morning***

Chris woke up when her alarm went off, and jumped in the shower. She got out and got dressed, and quickly placed a delivery order for the deli across the street for bagels and cream cheese and lox, and an order of waffles and bacon for Miranda.

They delivered it just as Miranda was coming in to eat breakfast.

After she was done, Chris took her to school.

David was planning on going to the penthouse today to wait for the new furniture that was going to be delivered.

Chris was debating on whether or not she wanted them to spend the night there. She was so ready for the move to be over with.

Chris dropped Miranda off, and then grabbed Starbucks, and then headed back to the apartment.

David was ready to go, and had a few more boxes he wanted to bring to the Penthouse. Chris felt bad about not helping to lift the boxes, but she was still under lifting restrictions from her surgery.

They got to the penthouse, and David unloaded the boxes and they took them up to the Penthouse.

The Satellite company was coming to hook them up with satellite and internet today, and David confirmed that the furniture would be delivered between 11 and 1.

They unpacked boxes, and hung more clothes in the closet. Chris got her shoe rack set up and David helped her drill it into the back of the closet, and then she put all her shoes on it.

She had brought all of her cosmetics closet items, and some new towels. She set up the linen closet, and cleaned out the tub.

David was hanging some pictures and sconces, and right on time, the furniture people got there at 11.

They set up Chris and David's new bed and mattress and box springs, Miranda's new mattress and box springs, the new couch, the new dressers, and the new desk for the office.

David tipped them heavily, and then they left, and he and Chris went back to getting things like they wanted them.

She got her bedroom fan set up like she liked it, and set up the sound machine that she and David always used.

They ran into problems in each room.

David wanted a small loveseat for their room, and once they had the furniture in there, she saw where it would fit. They were torn about where to put the TV- they liked to see it from the bed, but they also wanted to see it from the loveseat, so that would mean they couldn't put the loveseat in the alcove.

They agreed to figure it out later, and went to the family room.

They figured out the best way to have the couch, and Chris helped David hang the TV over the fireplace, by handing him tools only. She felt like something else was missing, and she was pretty sure she knew what she wanted to put in that space. That would have to come later.

Chris went and made up Miranda's bed and put fresh sheets on it and her new comforter. She also put fresh sheets and the new comforter on her and David's bed, and fresh pillows.

David came and found her.

"What do we have left babe?"

"Well, we need to bring the rest of the kitchen stuff over. You need to set up your computer and your office stuff. We need to bring our dressers over and unpack our clothes into them. We need to get the loveseat situation and the TV situation in our room figured out. We need to finish unpacking the cabinets in the kitchen. We need to get the washer and dryer delivered and hooked up. We need to fill the hot tub. We need to unpack the shelves in the living room and get those set up. And, we need to pick Miranda up from school, and get some lunch".

Chris looked slightly overwhelmed. David wrapped his arms around her, and she hugged him back. He looked at his watch, and saw that it was only 1 p.m. Miranda didn't have to be picked up till 3:15.

"Babe, let's make a list of what you said needs to still be done. And let's leave it here. And let's go get some lunch, go get Miranda, and then come back here at some point. And when we do, we will tackle the to-do list, one item at a time".

"Deal". She kissed him a few times, and then grabbed her stuff. She wrote out the list, and put it on the counter. She grabbed her stuff and they turned the lights out and left.

They got into the car.

"Where to, babe?"

"That sub sandwich place you love that does your meatball sub".

"Alright!"

They headed to the sub place, and had subs. David was in heaven.

After they ate, they went to pick up Miranda, and then headed back to the apartment.

They walked in and set their stuff down.

"Do you have a lot of homework, kiddo?"

"I got it all done in study hall".

"Good. So, we are going to pack up some stuff here, and then head to the penthouse. Your bed came today, and I put sheets and your new comforter on it. You will want to take your pillows. We will probably be there till 8 or so, and then we will go eat dinner somewhere."

"Cool. I'm going to change clothes".

David grabbed the rest of their clothes from the bedroom, and his computer from the office, and a few more boxes and put them on a dolly. He went and loaded the car, and came back for more.

Chris packed up the rest of the kitchen stuff, and set those boxes on the counter.

Miranda had several bags and boxes that she was bringing out of her room to be taken, and set them by the door.

After they got the Range Rover loaded down completely, David and Miranda got in his car and Chris drove the Range Rover to the penthouse.

They unloaded the boxes and bags, and got to work.

It took Miranda about an hour to get her room set up the way she wanted it. She was overjoyed that she was able to open her window in her room, right by her bed. It was the only window on that side of the apartment that would open. She decided to leave it open for a little bit. David came in and hung her TV, and got her fan hooked up.

Chris got all of their clothes put into drawers, and she and David decided on furniture placement. He got the office set up just the way he liked it, and got his computer and printer set up. She finished putting everything away in the kitchen. Their labeling system had really saved them time.

They finished the last box, and David made one more run to the trash chute, and then came back and they loaded the empty boxes to take home to pack with.

"Do we want to stay here tonight? We can go to dinner, and then go get what we need for the night, and come back".

"Sounds good to me".

They left and headed to the parking garage.

They decided on Benihana. Chris called and got them on the list.

They were all so tired and starving.

***Benihana***

They pulled in and parked, and then went in. They were seated right away.

Chris ordered a water and a club soda with extra lime. When the waitress came back, they were all ready to order.

Chris got the steak and lobster, and 2 orders of chicken fried rice. David got the steak and scallops, and Miranda got the steak and shrimp.

They all inhaled their soup and salad, and almost cheered when the chef got to their table.

After the food was cooked, they ate and were so tired they were barely conversing.

Chris finished both orders of fried rice, plus all of her steak and lobster, all of her veggies and all of her salad and soup.

"I haven't eaten like this in a long time. I wonder if that new medicine that Dr. Larson gave me last month is kicking in".

"Could be, babe. Or maybe, you just worked up such an appetite today and tonight that you are just extra hungry".

"I suppose that's possible as well".

David paid the check, and they got up and headed out.

***Chris and David's apartment***

They came in, and David went to grab the dolly, and took it to the car to load it with boxes.

Chris started gathering things to take to the penthouse.

After she was done in the bedroom, she realized that with the exception of the dressers that were being brought to the penthouse the next day, everything else in that room was staying, unless they decided to bring the bed. She couldn't care less either way if they brought the bed or didn't. It was a bed she had from her marriage to Jimmy, so she was completely happy to let it go, or keep it.

They finished packing up the odds and ends in the den, dining room, and hallways. Miranda took some boxes to her room as well.

Chris got some post it notes from her purse, and took a pen, and went around the apartment labeling what was going to stay and what was going to go to the penthouse.

David loaded all the boxes on the cart, and when it was full, took them to the car.

By the time they left, all that was left behind was furniture that was being moved tomorrow, and furniture that they were going to sell with the apartment.

Chris and Miranda and David got in the car and headed to the penthouse.

David could tell Chris was a little reflective.

Chris felt like a chapter in her life was closing, because this was the first apartment she had bought after her divorce from Jimmy. However, she was extremely happy to be moving into a place with David. She and David really made her apartment theirs, though. Moving was always bittersweet, but this time was for a happy reason.

They pulled up to the penthouse, and parked.

David ran and got the dolly, and they helped him load it as best they could, and they all headed to the penthouse.

***Chris and David's penthouse***

They came in, and got straight to work.

They unloaded the cart and put the appropriate boxes in each room.

Chris got her cosmetics closet organized, and her makeup drawers set up, while David set up the shelves in the living room.

It was after 11 before they finished for the night, and collapsed into bed. Chris barely managed to get out a "good night, honey" to David before she passed out.

***Friday Morning***

Chris woke up when her alarm went off, and went to wake up Miranda. She made breakfast while Miranda was getting ready. David got up and got ready and joined her at the table.

Miranda came to the table and was very quiet. Actually, they were all very quiet because they were all three extremely exhausted.

After Miranda was done eating, Chris took her to school, while David headed to the apartment to wait for the movers to come.

Chris dropped Miranda off, and came back to the penthouse and took a nap.

She slept till about 12:30, and then got up.

She was in the kitchen finishing those boxes when the door opened.

Lisa and Miranda came in. Miranda was bawling, and she stormed past them and went to her room and shut the door.

Lisa came over to Chris.

"Hi. I have no idea what is wrong with her. She called me from school, and she was crying and saying she needed to come home and could I please come get her, so I went up to the school, and she was still upset so they let me take her. We went to Starbucks because I thought maybe she would talk to me after she calmed down some. But they got her order wrong, and she started bawling again, and just kept asking to come home, and she wouldn't say what was wrong. I didn't know what else to do, so I just brought her here".

"Ok, thank you sweetie. Let's just give her some time to calm down".

Chris gave Lisa a tour of the penthouse, and then Lisa helped her with the last few boxes. She took her into their bedroom, and asked her about where to put the loveseat so that you could see the TV from both the loveseat and the bed.

Lisa suggested moving the loveseat to between the windows, and putting their tall dressers more into the alcove so that it would create more of a dressing area.

Chris liked that idea, but she wasn't cleared to move heavy furniture yet, so they were going to have to wait for David.

They went to check on Miranda and found that she was fast asleep, so they decided not to wake her up.

Lisa and Chris took a load of trash to the trash chute, and then started to stack the boxes in the guest room until they could decide whether to recycle or keep them.

Chris grabbed her phone and texted David, asking where he was.

"Movers are loading up the last bit of furniture and then we are on our way".

"Ok. When you get here, we have to talk about Miranda".

Chris and Lisa sat down to chat, and snacked on some cheese and crackers, while they waited for David.

Lisa told Chris she had an interview with a designer next week, for a design job. The beauty of it was that she was only allowed to work a certain number of hours per month. So, once she put those hours in, she could take days off till the next month. They were also extremely work from home friendly, and it seemed like a very relaxed work environment.

"I am sure you will get it, honey. What designer is it?"

"Sweet&Free".

"What kinds of clothes do they sell?"

"Swimwear and flip flops, mostly. But they are also expanding into beachwear, like shorts and tanks".

"That sounds really great, honey. I know you will be just fabulous at it".

Just then, David and the movers came in the door, and he showed them the rooms they would be working with.

"Everything that was labeled storage will go into the storage unit downstairs".

The movers got to work, and David came over to Chris and Lisa.

"What's this about Miranda?"

"She called Lisa crying while she was at school, so Lisa went to the school, and she was still very upset, and Lisa ended up checking her out, but she wouldn't tell her what was wrong. They went to Starbucks right afterwards, but they got her drink wrong so she started crying all over again, and then they came home and she went straight to her room and wouldn't talk to us and has been asleep ever since."

"Well, let's just let her sleep it off, and then when she wakes up we can talk about it with her".

The movers were bringing in the paintings and the pictures that had hung on the wall.

They stacked all of them in the office, and then went to start moving furniture.

Lisa got her things and hugged them goodbye.

"If Miranda wants to talk to me later, have her call me".

"Ok sweetie. Be careful".

Lisa left, and Chris went and started marinating some chicken for dinner.

David figured out the layout for the terrace, and the movers brought the grill in and took it to the terrace.

It took the movers about 3 more hours to bring everything in and assemble it all.

They finished, and David paid them and tipped them well.

He came to find her in the kitchen.

"Babe, as it turns out, the apartment building wouldn't let us leave any furniture in it even though it was for sell. They claimed it was a liability."

"That's odd. I haven't ever heard of anyone doing that before. Did you tell them we were selling it furnished?"

"I tried. They rejected it. They want to buy it from us, so that they can turn around and flip it. So, they offered us a very fair price, but they refused to buy it furnished though".

"So, when can we tell them if we accept their offer?"

"By 5 tomorrow. They offered us $12.7 million".

"Well, I only paid 975,000 for it, so that is definitely a good offer".

"Do you want to take it?"

"I do, honey. Do you want to take it?"

"I think it's fair."

"They wouldn't keep anything?"

"The only things they were willing to keep were the built-ins, that we had no intentions of removing, the kitchen appliances, and the hot tub. They were extremely pleased that the hot tub and the kitchen appliances were still practically brand-new".

They talked it over some more, and they agreed to take the offer.

Chris took the key off her keychain, and handed it to David. He took his off as well, and put them on the same keychain, to take to them, when they signed the papers.

He called the building, and asked to speak to the manager, and told the manager that they would accept the offer. They agreed to come by Monday at 10, to sign the papers and give them the keys and do the final walk through.

Chris embraced David, and he kissed her forehead.

"We did it, babe. We became functioning, fully grown adults."

She laughed and kissed him.

"If you had found me when I turned 21, and asked me where I thought I would be in 35 years, you would have never heard me say 'happily married with a great bonus kid, living in a penthouse, retired from the force, and a lottery winner, driving a Range Rover' because that was so far from where I ever thought I would ever end up. I always thought I would live in France forever".

"I thought I would be in California, or somewhere coastal. And when I lost you the first time, I never dreamed I would get you back again."

"You didn't? You really didn't?"

"No. All I knew was that I was determined to try".

He kissed her a few times, and then went to fill the hot tub.

Chris was gonna have him grill their dinner, so she was getting that ready.

She walked out to see him on the terrace, and found that it was much more spacious than they had planned. She made a mental note to get some patio chairs, or maybe have David put up hooks for a hammock, or a porch swing.

She texted the girls that they were all moved in, and that they were completely done with the apartment at the Edgewater building.

They both texted back "Yay!", and said they would be over soon.

David grilled their chicken and some veggies for them, while Chris made the rice, and they let Miranda pick what fruit they were going to have. She picked a fruit salad of diced apples and berries, with whipped cream. She still seemed sad, so they didn't bring it up.

They ate dinner mostly in silence. Chris and David tried to talk to her, but she was not interested in conversation.

At the end of the meal, she asked if Lisa and Bridgit could come over.

"They are always welcome, but it's almost 9, they might be busy. Feel free to ask though".

She texted them, and after a few minutes, they both said they were on their way.

She asked Chris to send them to her room when they got here. Chris agreed.

Chris and David cleaned up the kitchen, and put the leftovers in the fridge. Chris had just changed into her pajamas when Lisa and Bridgit texted, saying they didn't know how to get upstairs.

Chris told them to go to the front desk. David called the front desk and asked them to tell the girls what to do.

"I will give them a form stating the instructions, for them to bring to you".

"Ok thank you".

A few minutes later, the elevator opened into the living room, and they came in.

"Hi girls! Thanks for coming".

"How is she?"

"About the same. She barely said a word all through dinner, and she still hasn't spoken about it. She asked that you two go to her room, and I told her I would send you".

"If she is in real trouble, please come get us, though. We want to help her, so make sure she knows that".

They nodded, and headed on back to her room.

Chris and David got to watch Charli for a few minutes. She was happily playing in her jumperoo.

Chris had decided she was going to get one of those and a pack n play, so that Bridgit wouldn't have to bring one each time.

About 20 minutes later, Bridgit came out.

"She wanted to talk to Lisa, so I left to give them some privacy".

"Did she say anything?"

Bridgit nodded.

"Apparently, there is a mother-daughter project coming up at school, and she said the teacher said it was mandatory. She said she raised her hand, and asked the teacher if there was another option available, and the teacher said 'What do you mean?', so Miranda told her that she didn't think she could complete this assignment. The teacher kept on insisting that she could, even though the sheet that she handed them on the assignment specifically states no step-parents, aunts, or grandparents are allowed to fill in for the biological mother. So, Miranda went up to her desk to try and speak to her privately, and she said the teacher yelled at her that she didn't have time for her 'teenage drama'. So, Miranda grabbed her things in a hurry, and left. She said she went to the office and asked to speak to her guidance counselor, and they told her she wasn't available, so she decided to just see if she could go home."

"Well, that is just ridiculous. I think we will need to have a conference with this teacher. I mean, Miranda can't help it that Stephanie is passed away, and I am sure there are plenty of kids who don't have the traditional family".

"Poor thing. Just when she thinks it's ok to be normal again, grief rears it's ugly head".

"So why did she call Lisa, and not us?"

"Well, we asked her that. She said that when she found you guys, her mom told her that it was very important that she not bother you guys with school issues or anything like that, because she didn't want Miranda to be a burden. So, she said when she wants or needs something, she waits to see if she can hear Stephanie's voice in her head before she decides what to do and who to involve".

That broke Chris' heart.

Bridgit continued.

"So, she wants to know if you guys would consider pulling her out and letting her go to public school. If not, she wants to know if you would consider letting her go to a different private school, and as a last resort, talking to the teacher and explaining the situation?"

"We will take option c and consider the others if she won't back down. But she is always welcome to come talk to us, and she can always call me- she would never be bothering me, ever".

"We tried to reassure her that you are the greatest and that if we didn't get on your nerves, she couldn't ever possibly get on your nerves, and that you would be there in a flash, and if you can't, then we would".

Lisa and Miranda came out and sat on the couch.

"You ok, kiddo?"

Miranda nodded.

"I was sad and upset. Now I'm mad and want to kick ass".

David reminded Miranda to not say ass, but did tell her that he felt the same way.

"I just didn't know what else to do, she wasn't going to listen to me, and I didn't want to get upset in front of everyone. But seriously, it's like everyone there has the perfect family, and nobody else has lost a parent, or lives with a step-parent, and nobody else knows what this feels like".

"Well you did the right thing by going to your counselor. We are going to speak with your guidance counselor and your teacher, and the headmaster if we have to, about this bullshit assignment."

Chris picked up the paper and looked at it.

"You will need birthdays, occupations, parents names, and how they met to complete this. Why wouldn't she want the parents or guardians that you live with to complete this?"

Miranda and Lisa went to the kitchen to get ice cream. Chris gave Bridgit a tour of the house, while David emailed the guidance counselor and headmaster that he would be there Monday morning to speak with them.

He got up and went to check on the hot tub. It was almost full, so he turned off the water hose.

Chris finished giving Bridgit the tour, and told her that she was going to order a jumperoo and a pack n play to be delivered for when Charli comes over.

Bridgit gave Chris the paper that the front desk had given her.

David found them in the den.

"Honey, this says we need to either make keys to our personal elevator for everyone, or we need to tell people to use the public elevator and then just knock on the door."

"I like those options. If we make keys, I say we only give them to Bridgit and Lisa, and maybe one to the front desk in case of emergency. We can give one to Miranda too, I suppose".

"Deal. I will have them made tomorrow".

David's phone went off.

The guidance counselor had emailed back that she would see them first thing Monday morning.

Bridgit and Lisa and Charli went home soon after, and Chris went to check on Miranda.

"Hey kiddo. You ok?"

"Yeah, I just hate days like today. Makes me miss mom even more".

"I know. I remember when my pop died, there were times it would just hit me all over again, that he was gone. And it always seemed like it happened when I was thinking about how much he would love to see something, or know something".

"How did you get through it?"

"Well, when he passed away, I was an alcoholic. So, I would hit the bottle. But after Mary Beth and your dad helped me see that wasn't the way to handle it, I would just lean on them, or keep it to myself and do something else to distract me".

"I just don't understand why she won't let me use you for this. I mean, you are my mom now, and you have a birthday, and you had an occupation, and you had parents".

"I know. Your dad and I are going to talk to the headmaster and your guidance counselor, on Monday".

"It said that the mom has to come in for the presentation, and you could come in. I just don't get it".

"I don't either. I don't see why you can't do ½ your presentation about your mom and the other ½ about me. She was way out of line for talking to you that way, honey. If you learn anything from this, I want you to learn that the way she treated you isn't an acceptable way to treat others. You should treat others with kindness, understanding, compassion, and grace. If you can't do that, then table it till you can".

Miranda nodded. "It was so embarrassing".

"I promise you, that we will take up all of these issues with the headmaster and the guidance counselor. I tell you what, why don't you write out exactly what happened, what you said, what she said. That way, we can give it to the headmaster and maybe they won't make you talk about it all over again".

"Good idea".

"Before I go, I want you to know something. I know that your mom told you that if something happened at school, not to bother us. And I know that she meant well, and that knowing us and spending time with us was all so new back then. But honey, you're ours full time now, and we wouldn't have it any other way. If you need us, call us. If you need me, and you call me, I promise you I will never be mad, or upset, or think that you are bothering me. I will be the exact opposite actually. I probably won't be able to get to you fast enough, really. I promise, anytime you need us, just call, ok?"

Miranda nodded, and hugged Chris.

"Thank you for understanding about my real mom, and still wanting to be a mom to me".

"Oh honey, you don't have to thank me. I want to be here, I swear it".

She left her to go find David then, and found him in the bedroom.

"Miranda's ok. She just feels embarrassed. I encouraged her to write out what happened in detail so that if she doesn't want to be in the meeting, she won't have to".

"Good idea, babe".

Chris started washing her face. David left the room and then came back.

"The hot tub is ready…. Wanna get in?"

"What if Miranda catches us?"

"I thought about that. That's why I brought the curtains from the office and put them on a tension rod, and we are gonna hang them over the door, and then she won't be able to see. We can also lock the door to the hallway".

"If you are sure, then I am sure. We can keep it tame till we know she's asleep".

She leaned up and kissed him, and then went into her closet to get a bathing suit.

This would be the first time she had worn a bathing suit since her reconstruction. The bruising had finally gone away, but the swelling was still there. She grabbed one of her string bikini tops and tied the top really tight. She picked the teal tops and shiny black bottoms.

David went and locked the elevator, and the door to the hallway outside, and checked on Miranda. She was just heading to bed.

"Night kiddo". He kissed her goodnight.

He made Chris a club soda with extra lime, and made himself tea and lemonade, and took the drinks to the hot tub. Chris grabbed two towels and met him out there.

He helped her climb in, and then grabbed her drink and handed it to her.

She turned the jets on, and then he climbed in.

"Honey, this feels so good".

"Yes, it feels great".

She snuggled up to him, and they soaked for a long time.

Finally, she spoke.

"My heart hurts".

"Why, babe?"

"For Miranda. She doesn't deserve to be treated that way. The teacher should have been more understanding, and at the very least told her they would talk about it after class, and not yell at her in front of everyone."

"I guarantee you, she won't do it again after we are done speaking with her".

"I hope we can get them to listen. But we need to be prepared if they don't. What are we going to do?"

"Well, we can always pull her out and homeschool her, or send her to another private school. I don't necessarily want to send her to public high school, but I will if I have to."

"Well, I remember the nuns. She doesn't want the nuns."

"Got it, no nuns".

"So, if they don't back us, then we will begin looking for a new school immediately, and we will see if we can put her in one of those. Whatever it takes, we will not allow someone to embarrass her because her mom passed away. That's never going to happen."

"I love seeing you be an advocate for our family, honey. We are so lucky to have you".

She kissed him.

She climbed on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him again.

This was the first time they had been physical like they used to be since her surgery. In the weeks since her surgery, they had played it safe and had been very gentle, but that was over. Now, they were back to passionate lovemaking, like they had always done.

David kissed her hungrily, and pulled her close.

He untied her top, and gently kissed her breasts and then hungrily kissed her neck.

After they made mad, passionate love in the hot tub, they snuggled up and soaked for a minute.

"Don't you love how we can do whatever up here and nobody will know? We are literally up above the entire city".

"I know, babe. We have total privacy in a city that isn't known for being spacious".

They soaked a little longer, and then they went inside.

Chris wanted a deep tissue massage, but she was afraid to lay on her stomach just yet. So instead, David had her lean forward as much as he could and he put the cooling gel on her back and shoulders.

"This will really help your muscles babe".

She did it for him afterwards, and they headed to bed. She climbed up on the step and then climbed up into the bed. She loved sleeping up high, it was so romantic.

They snuggled up and fell asleep rather easily.

***Saturday***

Chris woke up around 8:30. David was still sleeping. It was pouring outside, but the weird thing was, their apartment was literally above the rainstorm. When they looked out the window, they were looking down on the rain.

Chris made bagels and lox and cream cheese, and juiced some oranges. Miranda was sleeping in too. David woke up around 9:30, and made himself breakfast. They had a lazy morning together, and were pondering what to do the rest of the day.

They finally decided on ordering pizza and watching movies.

David called the front desk and asked them if they were to order a pizza, should they tell the delivery person to come all the way up or meet them at the desk.

The front desk confirmed they could come all the way up, and told them they had plenty of menus available if needed.

They decided to try a new pizza place, and some new pizzas. They ordered a half pepperoni and extra onions, half margherita plus artichokes for Chris, sausage and mushrooms for David, and sausage and green peppers for Miranda. They ordered some garlic knots with marinara, and threw in some Dr. Pepper for Miranda.

Pizza came around 12, and they ate while they watched a movie on Netflix.

Chris and David started another movie when it was over, but Miranda got up and told them she was gonna get dressed and go explore the building.

"That's fine. Don't leave the building".

She left shortly after, and was gone about an hour.

She came back so excited.

"This place is awesome. Downstairs on the 5th floor, our very own Starbucks. 4th floor is the coolest gym ever, and they have classes. And, they have a water bottle filling station there and in the lobby at the bottom. There is a huge pool on the third floor, and you can reserve it for a night for free. Free. Let that sink in. On the second floor, they have not one, but 2 viewing rooms. So, we can get movies sent here and it's only $25 per apartment. That's cheaper than going to the real movies. And the lobby has 2 restaurants in it, plus a beverage bar where you can get fresh juices and take hits of oxygen. I love this building!"

They were cracking up at how excited she was.

Her phone started going off, and she told them it was her friends texting.

"Can I have some friends over tonight, to maybe spend the night?"

"Sure".

She went to her room, and about 45 minutes later, the doorbell rang. Chris answered the door, and 2 friends were standing on the other side.

She let them in.

"Hello, I am Chris, Miranda's step mom."

"Hi, I am Savannah."

"Hi, I am Zoe".

"Hello girls, welcome. Miranda is in her room. Right down that hallway, at the end".

The girls stayed in Miranda's room for a few hours, and then David went to ask them what they wanted for dinner.

They said they wanted Chinese, so he asked them what they wanted and they placed an order.

When the Chinese came, they all came out to eat it and everyone ate in the den.

The girls were telling Miranda about everything she missed yesterday.

"Mrs. Witherington was so rude to you, it's no wonder you left her class".

"What did she say after I did?"

"She just said that if anyone ever left her class like that without permission again, that she would write them up and give them lunch detention."

"What was she saying to you at her desk?"

"Well, she had just announced the mother-daughter project. And I read on the sheet that you can't use step moms, grandmas, or any other kind of mom. You have to use your biological mom. So, I asked her if there was an alternative assignment and she got rude. So, I went to her desk to explain to her that I can't use my mom, and she told me that she wasn't going to listen to my incessant teenage drama".

"I hate her".

"I hate her too. She was so rude like that to my sister last year".

"I don't know what I am going to do if she doesn't let me use Chris, though. It's not like I have any other options".

"Well, she says it has to be your biological mom. I am adopted and never met my biological mom. So, I guess I can't do it either".

"My sister and I are being raised by our aunt, because our mom is in prison. So, I can't do it either. She gave my sister a zero on the project last year for not having our mom come in, I guess I will get a zero too".

"Girls, don't count on that just yet. I don't plan on letting the school get away with this. I will stick up for all of the students, not just Miranda".

"Omg, Mr. Keeler, are you going to fight them or something?"

"No. I am a lawyer, so if I have to, I can file a discrimination suit against the school and the teacher. They are violating the Family Responsibilities Act, by stating that Chris, as the stepmom to Miranda, isn't fulfilling her family duties. Or that your mom isn't, or your aunt. When you assume guardianship or custody of someone, you assume the parental duties that go along with that, and they are refusing to acknowledge that Chris and your mom and your aunt have stepped into that role. Also, they are holding it over your heads that you will either have to produce a person that is physically not able to be there, or you get a zero. That's not fair".

"If my mom was alive, she would let them have it".

"Same with my mom. She would tell them off, and then take me for ice cream".

"My mom wouldn't be able to come to school even if she got out of prison, she can't be around me at all. So, either way, I would lose".

"Girls, did you tell your parents about this?"

They nodded.

"And we aren't the only ones affected. There are like 20 people in the grade who aren't living with their mom, or their mom can't come".

"Well, after we talk to the headmaster, I think this project will be expanded to include whomever the student wants to honor, or it will be dropped all together".

"You're awesome, Mr. Keeler. Can you yell at her in front of the whole class?"

David laughed and shook his head.

Savannah looked at him.

"Can you get restraining orders lifted?"

"No, only a judge can do that. What restraining order are you talking about?"

"Well, my mom and dad were never married. And they had my older sister Abby, me, and my younger sister Presley, before they split. So, when they split, my mom moved us from New York to South Carolina, and wouldn't tell my dad where we were. He hired this investigator to find us, and they arrested my mom. So, we all get taken back to New York, and she gets arrested, and we have to live with our Dad. So, at her trial, she gets sentenced to 8 years in prison, and my dad convinced the judge to put a lifetime restraining order on her barring her from having any contact with us at all. But then, he died in a car accident 4 years ago, so we have been with our aunt and uncle ever since. And my mom is supposed to get released in about 2 years, but when she does, she has nowhere to go because she can't come where we are. And if he's passed away and he is the one who wanted the restraining order in the first place, I don't see why it can't be lifted".

"You make a great case. I don't see why any judge wouldn't lift those restrictions".

"So how do we do that?"

"Well, you have to get a lawyer to file a motion, and then they set a court date, and each side tells their story, and the judge decides".

He pulls out his wallet and pulls out a card from it. "Give this to your aunt. If she is willing to let you see your mom, then I am willing to help however I can".

"Thank you! I am sure she will".

Savannah ran and put the card in her purse.

Zoe and Miranda were chatting about a fight that took place in the cafeteria, and how 2 boys got suspended.

"They got suspended? Must have been some fight".

Zoe started giving the details, and Chris and David looked on in shock.

"School has sure changed since I went there."

"I had nuns. They would have never allowed us to act this way".

"You had nuns?!". The girls were so shocked by that.

"Yes. And if you misbehaved they would slap you in the face, convince you that you were going to hell, and have you so scared about eternity that you didn't care whether or not your parents found out".

After they were finished eating, the girls decided to go downstairs to the workout room and the beverage bar.

Chris and David cleaned up from the Chinese food and snuggled on the couch under a blanket while the girls were gone. Chris was ready to go to bed, but she knew David wouldn't till Miranda and the girls were back.

The girls got back about an hour or two later, and they all had juices in their hands and bags of snacks.

"Girls, where did you get those?"

"At the juice bar downstairs. They said that we could just charge it to our building account".

"What building account?"  
"We asked him how much the juices and snacks were going to be. He said that every apartment in the building had a building account and that he isn't allowed to take cash, that you just bill it to the account. We told him no thanks, and he insisted and said it would be billed to our account".

"I will talk to them and see if I can straighten this out, but next time, ask before you do it, ok?"

"Ok".

Miranda and the girls went to her room, and Chris went and got the rollaway bed and took it in there for them as well.

"Good night girls. David and I are going to bed soon. You guys can sleep in tomorrow if you want to, ok?"

"Ok. Good night".

Chris started turning off lights. David started locking doors, and locking the elevator and setting the alarm. He got her a glass of water, and came into the bedroom.

They shut their hallway door, but didn't lock it.

Chris was getting her pajamas on, and washing her face, and found David in their room. He had just turned the news on. They climbed into bed, and he wrapped his arms around her.

After the news was over, they turned the TV off.

David turned to Chris and looked at her seriously.

"I know I don't say it often enough, but I am so thankful that you are the person raising Miranda with me. I know that you aren't her mother, and she knows that, but you are the next best thing and we couldn't do all this and handle all this without you, babe".

He kissed her tenderly.

"Honey, that is so sweet. I love her like she is my own, no matter what. And I wouldn't want to do life without you either, honey. You and Miranda are the reason I do most of what I do".

She kissed him a few times.

They made love and then fell asleep, snuggled up in each other's arms.

***Sunday morning***

Chris woke up around 8:30. David was still sleeping. She got up and made herself a bagel and some orange juice. David woke up around 9, and threw some clothes on to go downstairs and get the Sunday paper. Chris whipped up some waffle batter and put it in the fridge so that she could make the girls waffles when they woke up. She made David some coffee, and he made himself some scrambled eggs. They settled on the couch with the paper, waiting on the girls to get up.

They finally woke up around 11:30, and Chris made them waffles and bacon.

They were giggling and happy all through breakfast, and their phones were going off non-stop.

Savannah looked up. "My aunt is picking me up at 3. I told her that you could help my mom and she said she would love to speak to you about it".

"Our door is always open".

Zoe's mom texted that she would be picking her up around 3 as well.

"What time did you girls go to sleep last night?"

"I think it was like 1. We were watching a movie and we kept thinking we were being loud, but I came out to the kitchen to get a glass of water, and I couldn't even hear the TV in the kitchen even with my bedroom door open".

Chris made a mental note that if she couldn't hear her room from the kitchen, she sure wouldn't be able to hear Chris and David from her bedroom if they were in their bedroom.

Chris cleaned up the kitchen, and then went to shower and get dressed.

David showered after her and got dressed as well.

Chris was getting meat out to thaw for dinner and dicing veggies when the doorbell rang.

It was Savannah's aunt.

"Hello, I am Astrid Owens, Savannah's aunt."

"Hi! Come on in. I am Christine, Miranda's stepmom. This is my husband, David keeler".

"Thank you so much for offering to help us. We think we just need for a judge to hear all the facts, we just don't know what our first step should be. What kind of lawyer do we need?"

"Well, you have 2 options. You can go to a family court, or child custody/divorce lawyer, and ask them to file the motion to lift the restraining order. You could do it on behalf of your sister, or you could do it on behalf of your nieces. Or, you can contact your sister, and have her get her lawyer to do it, if she has one".

"Ok. Do you have any idea about how long this process will take?"

"Shouldn't take more than a couple months, I would assume".

"Ok thank you! I am going to call her lawyer tomorrow".

"If her lawyer is trying to appeal her sentence, then they could work it into a hearing as well".

"My sister is guilty of the kidnapping, but she still deserves to see her kids. And my nieces need their mom, so this would really and truly be for them. I am willing to let her live with us when she is released, but she and I are going to have to agree on some things, because I don't want her kids to get the wrong message and live in turmoil again".

"Well, if I can help in any way, you are more than welcome to call me anytime. Savannah has my business card, with my cell on it".

"Ok thank you so much!".

She and Savannah left. Zoe's mom showed up about 20 minutes later.

"Thank you so much for letting her spend the night! We will have to return the favor in a few weeks".

They all said their goodbyes, and then Chris shut the door.

She went back to preparing everything for tacos. Miranda came in to help.

"Are we having soft tacos, or hard tacos?"

"Whichever kind of tacos you want, kiddo".

"Soft." Miranda got out the tortillas and began to separate them and put them on a plate.

Chris got out the grill press, and showed Miranda how to heat up the tortillas.

Chris started thawing the meat in the microwave, and then she started shredding the cheese.

After everything was ready, they put it all back in the fridge, and Miranda set the table.

David started getting everyone drinks, and Chris started cooking the meat.

Miranda took the toppings to the table, and David sliced avocados for fresh guacamole, and opened up some diced onions. He started slicing limes, and after a few minutes, he had made some fresh guacamole. Chris heated up some Spanish rice, and asked David and Miranda if they wanted beans, to which they did not.

They got everything on the table, and had a nice dinner.

Chris and David cleaned up the kitchen afterwards and loaded the dishwasher. David took the trash to the trash chute, and Christine made a grocery list. She was going to go grocery shopping after she and David had their meeting at Miranda's school the next day.

Miranda went to her room and started doing laundry for the week.

Chris and David sat down to watch TV and Chris started making a list of the points she wanted to make tomorrow at the meeting. David agreed with all of them and added a few more.

He looked up the name of the act that this project would be discriminating against and added it to the list.

Chris went to take a bath. This would be the first bath she had taken in the new tub.

She was in the tub for a little bit, when David came in and joined her.

She moved forward and he got in the tub behind her. He washed her back and rubbed her shoulders and neck for her.

After a long bath together, they got out and got ready for bed.

Chris was a little nervous about the meeting tomorrow, but not much. She knew David could handle it, and she had faith that the headmaster would take care of it. She just hoped that Miranda didn't get too upset about the whole situation, since Stephanie's death was still so fresh.

They snuggled up in bed and watched some TV and Chris fell asleep long before David did. He got up and locked the door and the elevator, and got her a glass of water.

He came back to bed, and wrapped his arms around her and they slept all night.

***Monday***

Chris woke up when her alarm went off, and jumped in the shower. She woke David up, and then got dressed.

She looked at the weather- high of 18 degrees. Yikes.

She chose black fleece leggings, her gray UGG boots, and a long blue tunic sweater.

She went and woke Miranda up, and then made them breakfast.

Miranda came to the kitchen and poured herself some chocolate milk, and then sat down to eat her breakfast.

"Miranda, we need your statement of the incident, and we need the assignment sheet that she gave you".

She got them out of her backpack and then handed them to Chris.

After they ate, they loaded the dishwasher and then gathered their things and headed to school.

***Birch Wathen Lenox***

They pulled up and parked, and went into the office for the meeting.

The receptionist showed them to the conference room and shortly after the headmaster and the guidance counselor came in.

David explained that they were upset not only about the parameters of the assignment that Miranda had been given, but also of the way that she was spoken to.

Headmaster Stevens looked at Miranda and asked her to tell him what happened.

She took a deep breath and began.

"She passed out the handout that detailed the assignment. She asked us to read it. It says at the bottom that only biological mothers will be accepted for this, and that it's mandatory. So, I raised my hand and asked her if there was an alternative assignment. She asked me what I meant, and I got up and went to her desk to ask her if we could talk outside. She looked at me and in front of everyone told me that she didn't have time for my teenage drama. She never once listened to what I had to say, or let me explain myself. I started to get upset and I didn't want to do that in the class, so I gathered my things and left."

"Where did you go?"

"Here, to the office. I wanted to speak to Mrs. Watson, but they said she wasn't available. So I called my cousins to come get me, and they came and checked me out".

"Why don't you feel like you can complete this assignment?"

"Because my mother is not alive, and the sheet says no step parents, no grandparents, no adopted parents, and no aunts or uncles. Chris isn't my biological mom, but she is the only mom that I have".

David spoke up. "I am not sure if you are aware, Mr. Stevens, but there is a law that was passed called the Family Responsibilities Act. It states that it is unlawful for anyone to prevent someone from fulfilling their family responsibilities. By not allowing my daughter to bring her stepmom in on this project, you are discriminating against both of them. And Miranda isn't the only one who is affected. She had two friends who spent the night this weekend, and neither of them live with their biological mothers. One of them isn't even in contact with her biological mother. They also stated to me that about 1/3 of their class resides with someone other than their biological mother. So, it seems to me that an overhaul of this assignment is necessary".

The headmaster nodded.

"We are going to have to speak to the teacher to see why she insisted that only biological mothers be a part of the assignment".

He sent the secretary to ask her to come to the conference room.

After a few minutes, she came and sat down.

The headmaster asked her to explain the assignment.

"We are going to study genetics, and we will specifically be looking at the genes that daughters can only inherit from their mothers. If you are a stepmother or a grandmother or an aunt, you aren't able to pass any of those genes down to the child".

David spoke up.

"I understand that 100%. However, not everyone has the option of including their biological mother".

The headmaster spoke up. "Mr. Keeler has pointed out to me what I feel are very good reasons that a good portion of the class cannot participate in this. So, as not to have them feel excluded, can we tweak the assignment in a way that everyone could be included? Or, we can scrap it all together and come up with something else".

"We can tweak it. We will be doing genetics, so they can do any biological parent".

"That won't work for everyone though. There is a girl in your class, who informed me this weekend that her biological father passed away, and her biological mother at this time isn't allowed to have contact. That could change in the coming months, but no guarantees".

Mrs. Witherington didn't seem fazed by that.

She and the headmaster finally agreed that this would be extra credit, and that the kids who didn't have a biological parent could do a report on genetics for the same amount of points.

The headmaster looked at David. "Thank you for coming in so that we could resolve this today, Mr. Keeler".

"There is one more thing I would like to address, with Mrs. Witherington."

He turned to Miranda.

"Kiddo, why don't you go to class now, ok? We will see you later".

Miranda left, and David and Chris turned their attention to the teacher.

"If I ever hear about you speaking to my daughter in the way that you spoke to her on Friday again, I will become your worst nightmare. My daughter just lost her mother in October. It's January. If she feels upset about her mom not being here, it's called grief, not "teenage drama". For you to ridicule her and make her feel horrible about her mother dying is inexplicable. For the record, she told us that you handed out the sheet about the project, and she asked you about an alternate assignment. When she went to your desk, she was intending to tell you that her biological mother had passed away, and she claims that you yelled at her instead, making her so upset and embarrassed that she chose to leave your class and ended up calling her cousin to come check her out. That is inexcusable to me. Then, she had two friends over on Saturday. One of them stated she is adopted. She has never met her biological mother. She even made the point of saying that she doesn't consider that person to be her mother, she considers her mother to be the one that adopted her and is raising her. The other child stated that her biological mother is in prison, and has a no-contact order that keeps her from being able to talk to her or see her. Now I understand that the project was about genetics; but I think you need to have your definition of family broadened. A biological mother, biological father and the kids that they have together isn't the only type of family there is. My wife may not be Miranda's biological mother, but she is the best damn stepmother that Miranda and I could have ever hoped for, and the best part is, she treats Miranda like she is her own child, and has from the very beginning. I am sure that Miranda's friends who shared their situations with me have people in their lives who do the same thing. If Miranda had been disrespectful to you, or just flat out acted like a spoiled brat and said she wasn't doing it without telling you why she wasn't, I could understand your frustration. However, she didn't do any of that, she handled it very maturely and respectfully, and you disrespected her for it for no reason, and I will not tolerate that".

The headmaster looked at them. "The way that she was spoken to is not in the manner that befits our vision or our mission. I promise you that it won't happen again".

Mrs. Witherington spoke up. "I apologize for how I spoke to your daughter. I didn't mean to take my frustrations out on her".

"I appreciate that, thank you".

Chris spoke up.

"I just want to add that Miranda is a mixed bucket right now. You might look at her and think she is doing just fine, and she could very well be. But you look at her again, and she's not fine. Like we already stated, it's only been 3 months since her mom died. And you have to understand- her mom was a single mom until Miranda was 12, because we didn't know she existed till then. So, for the first 12 years of her life, it was her and Stephanie all day, every day, and then she meets us, and starts having visits with us and dinners and holidays. She was in the room when her mom lost consciousness-the memories of her mom dying are still extremely fresh. So, if you wouldn't mind showing her some grace and compassion, we would appreciate it. I do everything that I can for her and will always do so, but at the end of the day, I am not Stephanie, and nobody ever will be".

Mrs. Witherington nodded. "I understand. I apologize again".

"Let me ask you. What was your intentions with the mother daughter project? What did you want it to look like?"

"I wanted the child to ask the mom questions, like who did you get your eye color from, or your hair color from, and personality questions as well. It was going to be broken up into sections, like this week ask these questions, and this week ask these. Then, we were going to have the child make a poster with pictures of the mother and her family through her life, and bring her and introduce her to the class, and talk about 5 big moments in the mom's life".

"Well, that sounds like a great project. It also sounds like it can be done with stepmoms, or aunts, or grandmas, or adopted moms. Especially when you consider the fact that kids have a 50/50 chance of inheriting anything from the mom. Miranda looked nothing like Stephanie-she is a carbon copy of David's sister, actually. And I looked nothing like my mom, I was my dad through and through, looks and personality. So, I know that you feel we ganged up on you, and that wasn't our intention. It's just hard to see her as upset as she was on Friday. Can we compromise on this? Can the kids ask any family member the genetics questions and bring the person?"

Mrs. Witherington nodded. "That is a fair compromise. I will allow that, and thank you for helping us reach it".

They all shook hands, and then everyone headed out of the conference room.

David and Chris signed out and walked to the car.

In the car, they decided to grab brunch somewhere and take it home.

They went by their old apartment, and signed the papers to sell it to the management company. Chris sighed as she handed them the keys.

She and David left, and she told him she was starving.

They picked up sushi, and headed home.

***Chris and David's penthouse***

Chris and David came in, and Chris went and changed clothes into her lounging pants. They ate their sushi, and then Chris unloaded the dishwasher and got out some meat to cook for dinner. David went to the bedroom while Chris was planning dinner. She added a few things to the grocery list. David reappeared and stood behind Chris.

"Babe, lean back against me. Just trust me".

Chris did. "Close your eyes". She did. He wrapped a blindfold around her eyes, and tied it tight.

He picked her up, and carried her to the bedroom.

He set her down next to the bed.

"Now, just trust me ok, babe?"

She nodded.

He slowly undressed her, and picked her up and put her on the bed, and then told her to turn over.

She knew what was happening.

He straddled her lower back, and grabbed the remote and closed the curtains so that it was pretty dark in the room.

He applied some massage oils and gave her a nice, deep back rub.

"Oh honey, that feels so good".

Chris was in heaven.

David rubbed on her back for about 45 minutes, and got her good and relaxed. After the massage was done, he told her to turn over and then laid down next to her and began caressing her. He removed the blindfold and kissed her several times. They had the loudest, most passionate sex they had had in months, and Chris was able to let go of all of her inhibitions, and all of her insecurities. After they were done, they laid there for a little bit just enjoying themselves.

David had set an alarm for an hour before Miranda had to be picked up.

When it went off, he told Chris they had one hour.

She got up and got in the shower to wash the massage oil off, and then David jumped in after her. She got dressed and dried her hair, and redid her makeup. She and David decided to go to the grocery store before they picked up Miranda. If they divided the list and each took half, they could get it done in about 20 minutes.

They grabbed their things and headed out the door.

At the grocery store, they grabbed everything on the list and a few extra things. David loaded them up on steaks and shrimp and chicken, and Chris made sure they had Miranda's favorites, like chocolate milk, and her favorite cereal and Dr. Pepper.

They checked out and pulled up to pick up Miranda right on time.

She seemed happy, and told them in the car that Mrs. Witherington apologized to her personally and seemed really sincere.

"She also said that we can do the project on whomever we want to in the family."

"That's good. I am glad she came around".

They got home and she went to change clothes, and then came back to make a snack.

"What are we having for dinner?"

"I thawed some meat, and was going to make lasagna. What do you want?"

"Lasagna sounds awesome, we haven't had that in a long time".

Chris realized that she had forgotten fresh mozzarella at the grocery store, so David ran to get some.

"Get 3 balls of it, honey. And some fresh basil".

"Ok, babe". He kissed her goodbye and left.

She made herself a club soda with extra lime, and began to make the tomato sauce for the lasagna. She started cooking the meat also.

David got back quickly, and she finished the sauce and began to layer the lasagna.

She put it in the oven, set the timer for an hour and 20 minutes, and then cleaned up the kitchen. David set the table and got everyone drinks, and then he and Chris went to sit down for a little bit.

Mary Beth and Chris exchanged a few texts, and then the timer was going off, so Chris had to go.

After a nice dinner, David insisted on cleaning up the kitchen while Chris relaxed. Chris came into the den to sit and watch TV. It was starting to snow outside.

Miranda came in and sat with her.

"Chris, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, honey. What is it?"

"Well, Mrs. Witherington changed the assignment so that we can ask the genetics questions to anyone and bring in anyone that we want. So, can I do the project on you?"

"Absolutely."

Chris gave her a huge hug, and Miranda handed her the paper that had the supplies needed and the due dates. They had about 8 weeks for the project.

"We will do these questions this weekend, honey. I promise".

Miranda nodded and went back to her room.

Chris heard her get in the shower.

David came and joined Chris in the den.

"Wow, it's really snowing babe. We might be snowed in up here for a couple days".

She smiled at him.

"Remember the first time we were snowed in together?"

"I do. It was great".

"Too bad we can't do that again".

"Babe, we can always do that again. We are going on vacation next month to Aruba. Do you want me to switch it to Colorado?"

"No, I need some sun. But, what do you think about us taking a ski trip to the mountains one weekend? We don't have to go to Colorado, we can go to Vermont or Connecticut".

"That would be fun. Do you think you can still ski?"

"Probably. Can you?"

"Sure".

"We could even take Miranda and the girls, and they could learn if they wanted to. We could get them a cabin, and we could have our own cabin".

"Sounds heavenly. Let's book it".

Chris grabbed her laptop, and pulled up Miranda's school schedule. Miranda had a Monday off in February, for teacher inservice.

"Our trip is Feb 8-16. We could go the weekend before, when Miranda has a day off. That's this coming weekend".

"Fine with me. Let's see if we can get a booking".

They were able to find 2 cabins to book at Sugarbush ski resort in Vermont.

Chris sent a quick text to Lisa and Bridgit.

"We were thinking of going to Sugarbush Ski resort this weekend. Leave Friday around lunch, return Monday around dinner. Wanna join us?"

"Sure!"

"Absolutely!"

"Alright! We are going to get a cabin for us and a cabin for you two plus Charli and Miranda. They have childcare on site, or we can take turns staying with her between runs. We will book it now."

"Thank you!"

"Thanks Aunt Chris! You're the best!"

Miranda was out of the shower, so they called her in there and asked her. She started jumping up and down, and got all excited. Then she got sad.

"I don't have anything to wear. I have zero ski clothes".

"Well, we can get you some. We will go shopping tomorrow night. Lisa and Bridgit and Charli are coming too. We are renting a cabin for us, and a cabin for you all to stay in, and we are going to see if they can get us cabins close together".

"This is going to be awesome. We have a ½ day Friday, and we get Monday off so it's going to be a great weekend".

"How would you like to have Friday off all day?"

"Sweet! It's not like we were doing anything important at school that morning anyways".

"What were you going to be doing?"

"We were going to have homeroom for an hour and a half, while the seniors were in an assembly. Then we were going to have chapel for the last hour and a half, and then dismissal".

"Yeah, you can stay home. We can probably leave Thursday night after we pick you up and then we will have all day on the slopes Friday, Saturday, Sunday and most of Monday".

"That sounds awesome".

Chris texted the girls back that the new plan was them leaving Thursday around 3:45 and getting a hotel before they go check in Friday morning at the resort. They were both agreeable to that.

Chris told them they were going shopping for ski clothes after Miranda got out of school if they wanted to join them. They both said yes.

Miranda went to her room, and Chris booked the resort for 3 nights, and was able to find cabins that were separated by only 2 cabins, so they were pretty close. She booked them 2 hotel rooms as well, for Thursday night.

She and David watched TV, while she looked for ski clothes online to get an idea of what she wanted.

She made a list on her phone of essentials- ski gloves, ski jacket, ear warmers, goggles, ski pants, long underwear, thick socks for the ski boots, and cute boots to wear to and from, warm pajamas for the cabin. Chris made sure their resort had fireplaces in the cabins and that firewood would be stocked.

She started making a list of what she would need to pack for them.

Pretty soon, she was in full on planning mode. She had made grocery lists, packing lists, and clothing lists.

"This is going to be so fun. I haven't skied in so long".

They watched TV till it was time for the news and then headed for bed.

David locked the door, and the elevator, and got Chris a glass of water.

She changed into her pajamas and washed her face.

He got the bed ready and turned the TV on to the news.

He changed into his pajamas and then joined her in bed.

"Babe, I am thinking we will need an alarm system here. I would just feel safer if we could protect ourselves with one, since we are at the very top of the building".

"Sounds fine to me. Who do you want to use?"

"ADT, I suppose. I want to be able to have an app where I can turn it on or off from our phones if we were to leave and forget to turn it on or something. And I think we need to start trusting Miranda with it, she's old enough to have the code and a key to the apartment."

"I completely agree. I was also thinking about how she and her friends charged that stuff to our account. Maybe we should start giving her an allowance, and if she charges stuff to our building account, we make her pay for it".

"That's a good idea too. I am going to talk to the homeowners association about whether or not charging to the apartment account is the only option. Makes sense to me that we should be able to pay cash if we want to".

"I think that's a very good point. You could explain to them that if we wanted to give our daughter cash, that would be the better option instead of us letting her charge it to the apartment all the time".

He leaned over and kissed her.

"I love parenting with you".

"I love parenting with you, honey". She kissed him several times, and then they turned off the TV and the lights, and made love before falling asleep.

***Tuesday***

Chris woke up and got ready and made breakfast for everyone.

David got up and got dressed, and came out dressed in his best suit.

"Today's my first day at the new firm. I should be home by 5, babe".

"Want some breakfast?"

"No, they are having a welcome breakfast for me at the office. Just going to take some coffee in the car".

She made his coffee, and then turned to embrace him.

"Have a good first day at work, babe. Do you want to go shopping with us for ski clothes?"

"I will meet you when I am done. We can all go to dinner afterwards".

She nodded. She kissed him several times.

"I love you more than anything, babe." He kissed her a few times, and then told Miranda bye.

"See you tonight, kiddo. Have a great day".

"Bye Dad!".

She walked him to the door.

"Bye honey, I love you". She kissed him a few more times and then he left.

She and Miranda had breakfast, and then she took her to school. They stopped and got a juice from the juice bar on the way to the car, and Chris realized she wanted to start juicing again.

"We can start making these at home, Miranda. I have all the stuff".

"Seriously? I would love that!"

"Really? What's your favorite flavor?"

"I like orange strawberry pear, and orange pear lemon celery".

"Well, I can go to the store today and get lots of fresh fruits and veggies so that we can start juicing. I still have the machine, and all the pitchers".

She dropped Miranda off, and went to get a mani/pedi, and a facial.

She texted Mary Beth and asked her if she wanted to meet for lunch.

"Can't. I am volunteering at Alice's school today".

"Have fun".

She sent a text to Isbecki, Petrie, and Coleman, about the foundation. They responded back that they wanted to have a dinner sometime and catch up on foundation business.

She was agreeable to that and texted them so.

Life was so different now that she was no longer on the force.

After she was finished at the salon, she picked up Mexican, and headed home.

She was able to get a short nap in before she had pick up Miranda.

She picked Miranda up, and then swung by and picked up Bridgit and Lisa, and Charli.

They headed to Academy sports, and then Sullivan's Ski Store to purchase clothes.

***Academy sports***

Chris, Bridgit, Lisa, and Miranda all came inside and headed for the ski section.

Everyone needed clothes.

Chris had told them they could rent the skis at the resort, and that it was around 70 dollars a day to do so.

Chris was looking at the clothes, and filling her cart with things she wanted to try on, when Lisa yelled her name to come a few aisles over.

"Aunt Chris! They have skis for sale, that are brand new and are at a great price".

Chris went to look. They had skis for sale for $40 on clearance.

Chris did the math and figured out that buying the skis would be cheaper than renting them. Plus, they could drive up for the day on other weekends and ski if they wanted to.

She texted David and told him to meet them there when he got off work.

She put a pair of black skis in the cart for him, and then told everyone else to pick out their pair and put them in the cart. The girls all got pink. Chris got green and silver. They all came with storage bags, so they were going to be easy to pack.

Chris picked out a pink ski jacket and some black ski pants, pink ski gloves and ear warmers. Miranda picked out a jacket, ski pants, and gloves and ear warmers.

David met them at the store shortly after.

"Hi, babe". He kissed Chris and admired what she found. He also picked out some ski pants and ear warmers. He liked the skis that Lisa had found, too.

After they checked out, they headed to the next place, Sullivan's Ski Store.

***Sullivan's Ski Store***

They pulled up and parked, and went inside.

David pulled up right behind them.

Chris needed goggles and boots and she would be set. They were having a huge sale, so they were all able to find something they needed at a great price.

Chris found some very cute sparkly silver snow boots in her size, at 60% off. She also found some goggles, and some weatherproof furry boots that she could wear to and from the slopes.

Miranda found some weatherproof boots as well, and some ski boots in the clearance section in her size. David found a ski parka, and some ski boots.

The girls also found some cute ski jackets and ski boots.

They checked out, and then left.

"Where do we want to go for dinner, you guys?"

"How about Girardi's pizzeria?"

"Yes!" Everyone was in total agreement.

***Girardi's***

They came in and got a table for 6, with a highchair.

Bridgit set out some food for Charli to eat, and they all began to look at the menu.

They decided to order a massive pizza, which is 24 slices. You can customize your 4 slices, so they did 1/6 supreme, 1/6 pepperoni, 1/6 pepperoni with extra onion, 1/6 cheese, 1/6 sausage and green pepper, and 1/6 veggie. David ordered them some breadsticks and marinara to snack on, and they all ordered their drinks.

The pizza was so good, they couldn't get enough of it.

After they were finished eating, David ordered a medium ½ pepperoni and onion, ½ sausage and mushroom pizza to go, and paid the check.

They left the restaurant.

Chris dropped Bridgit and Lisa off at their building, and then she and Miranda went home to meet David.

***Chris and David's penthouse***

They came in and put their stuff down.

David was in the bedroom, changing clothes.

Chris came in to do the same, and found him in the bathroom.

"Babe, are you going to be home tomorrow? The alarm system company is coming".

"Yes. What time?"

"Between 10 and 2".

"Ok".

Chris washed her face, and then changed into her pajamas.

David changed into his pajamas and then they went to the den to watch TV. Miranda was in her room doing homework.

"What time should we leave Thursday, honey? Right after we pick Miranda up from school?"

"Yes. I will be home by 3, and we can pack the car and then go get her, and then go. Or we can go get her, come home and pack the car and then go."

"She'll probably want to change clothes before we go. I can run get her pretty quick and then we can pack the car while she is changing clothes".

"Good plan. So, let's tell Bridgit and Lisa to be here with their things by 4 at the latest".

"Deal".

They watched TV for a little bit, and then headed to bed.

David locked the doors and the elevators, and got Chris a fresh glass of water, while she went and got the bed ready.

David closed the door to their hallway and bedroom, and joined her in bed.

Chris turned the TV on, and they snuggled up.

She happened to look over and see how hard it was snowing.

"Honey, if we get enough snow, we might be able to leave earlier".

"Maybe. We will have to see what's being forecasted".

He looked at her seriously.

"Do you like this penthouse, babe?"

"Honey, I love it. You know that".

"I love it too. I am just asking because you seemed a little sad when we turned the keys in yesterday and sold the other place".

"I wasn't sad, but it did hit me that my life with Jimmy was finally over. That was the final thing that I had from my time with him, because I bought that with money he gave me from the divorce settlement".

"I understand. I think us moving was the right decision though, we had out grown the other place, really".

"Yes, I agree. It was time to Move on. But honestly, if I didn't have you in my life, I would have lived there forever. And if we didn't have Miranda, you and I could have, if you wanted".

"I would have been fine with it babe, honest".

"I would have too. But I am glad that you and I finally have our own place together, that is 100% us, no past lives included".

"We are moving on, quite nicely, babe".

He started kissing her neck, and then kissed her hungrily.

"It doesn't matter to me where we live, I am still the luckiest guy in town because I have the hottest wife ever".

She kissed him passionately, and then they had mad, passionate sex.

After they were finished, they laid there for a few minutes, cuddling.

"Babe, you hungry?"

"Yes".

They got up and put robes on, and headed to the kitchen.

Chris turned the oven on and warmed up the pizza.

David made them beverages and got them paper plates.

They went to the den, and he turned on the TV, and they found a late-night comedy show to watch.

When the oven went off, Chris got the pizza out, and put it on plates for them.

They ate every single piece of pizza.

"I am not sure what it is, but there is something in this pizza that's intoxicating. We will have to get this more often".

"I agree, babe. It's different from everywhere else".

After they were finished, they cleaned up and headed back to bed.

They snuggled up, and fell fast asleep.

***Wednesday***

Chris woke up when her alarm went off. She grabbed her phone and headed to the bathroom.

Just as she was about to head to the shower, she got an alert on her phone. Birch Wathen Lenox was closed for the day for snow.

"Hallelujah!". She went and woke David, and then got back in bed.

He got ready for work, and she got up and made him coffee.

He made himself bacon and eggs, and she sat with him while he ate.

She kissed him goodbye when he was ready to leave, and then went back to bed herself.

She slept till about 9:15, when Miranda came in and woke her up.

"Chris! We seriously overslept".

"No, honey. School is closed today, for snow".

Miranda came around and got in bed with Chris.

Chris sat up and turned on the TV.

"New York City is covered in 5 inches of snow this morning, as a heavy blizzard moved into the city overnight. Schools are closed, businesses are closing, and the up to date forecasts suggest that more is on the way".

Chris texted David asking him if he got to work ok.

He texted back yes, but that the office was closing, so he would be home within the hour.

He sent another text a few minutes later. "ADT is still coming, and said they would be there right at 10".

"Ok honey".

Chris got up and showered and dressed, and Miranda went to get dressed also.

Chris made them both juices and made herself an omelet. Miranda opted for cereal.

David got home at 9:50, and then the ADT guy got there right after.

Chris started making soup in the crockpot for lunch.

She went and got out the duffle bags and put them on the bed. She started packing a cabin bag, with a heated blanket, and the indoor grill, and the wireless speaker. She threw in the Amazon Fire Stick, and then started packing her clothes.

She went and got down her Vera Bradley duffle, and packed some lingerie, pajamas, and lounging clothes.

She packed her spare set of silky pillowcases in the cabin bag, and David's favorite travel blanket.

The ADT guy left, and David came in and got his suitcase down as well.

"We will need to pack a cooler for groceries, babe. Do we have one in storage?"

"Not in storage. It's in the laundry room. What groceries do we want to take?"

"Well, Friday night we can grill out, and Saturday night we can make spaghetti or tacos or whatever, and Sunday, we can do soup, or steaks, or chicken. It really doesn't matter to me. I packed the indoor grill, and I figured I would run to the store tomorrow and get some disposable pans to bake with".

"Why don't we make a grocery run when we get up there, so we don't have to worry about the cooler?"

"That's fine".

She finished packing her suitcase, and went ahead and put the skis in the car, and the cabin duffle.

David came in and told Chris he was running to the auto parts store and purchasing snow chains for them, just in case.

"Ok. We probably need to put flashlights in the car as well".

"I will pick some up".

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

"Love you honey".

"love you babe".

She headed into the kitchen and packed a box of Miranda's favorite cereal and some other snacks, like crackers and chips and salsa.

She sat down to have a bowl of soup with Miranda, and texted Bridgit and Lisa that if school was closed tomorrow, they could leave earlier.

"Sounds good".

Chris checked the weather and saw that it was supposed to snow again tonight, and then snow again this weekend in Vermont.

David got back and Chris made him a bowl of soup.

They lounged around the rest of the day, and night, and kept packing stuff as they thought about it for the trip.

Chris was excited. She realized that it had been about 20 years since she and David went to Vermont for the first time, together for a romantic weekend in the country. She was hoping that this weekend would be even more romantic.

***Thursday***

Chris woke up when her alarm went off and checked her phone.

Birch Wathen Lenox was open.

She got up and showered, and then got dressed.

She went and woke up Miranda, and then made her some breakfast.

David was getting in the shower and getting ready for work.

She texted Lisa and Bridgit that as of right then, Miranda's school was open, and that if they wanted to come over before she got out of school, they were more than welcome to.

She kissed David goodbye when he left, and then took Miranda to school. They decided to go through Starbucks, and picked it up on the way.

She dropped Miranda off and then came back home. She took a nice, long hot bath, and relaxed some.

She got dressed again and went and got on the couch under a blanket.

Around 10:30, her phone rang.

"Birch Wathen Lenox is closing at 11:30 today, due to our heat going out. Please pick up your child by 11:30".

She got up, got her UGGs on, and headed to pick her up.

She was happy they were dismissing early, because that meant they could get on the road earlier.

She texted the girls that Miranda was getting out of school early.

"We will be there by 1".

She texted David and asked him when he could come home.

"Now, if you need me to."

"Miranda's school is out at 11:30 for no heat. So I am picking her up, and the girls are going to be there at 1".

"I will be home in an hour, babe. Love you".

She grabbed Miranda, and they picked up lunch, and then headed home.

After they ate, they packed the car as best they could, and waited on David and the girls to get there.

Chris changed into some yoga pants, her uggs, and a long sleeved t-shirt and yoga jacket.

She was in the bathroom getting her cosmetics together when David came in.

He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"You and I are going to have the most romantic night and weekend, babe."

He kissed the side of her neck.

"I cannot wait to see you in that lingerie you packed". She turned around and kissed him a few times, and then he started packing the rest of his suitcase.

"We picked up lunch for everyone honey. I saved you some. It's chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-a."

He finished packing and went and made himself a plate.

The girls got there and they finished packing the car.

Everyone got ready to go, and climbed in the car.

They left around 1:30.

They arrived at the hotel at 7, and checked in. David got them two rooms, and everyone took their stuff to their rooms, and then met down in the lobby for dinner.

They decided to go to Texas De Brazil for dinner.

They all ate till they were full, and then they headed back to the hotel.

"Ok guys, why don't we meet in the lobby for breakfast tomorrow at 8:30? We can check out, go get breakfast and then head to the resort".

Everyone agreed to that, and went to their room.

This was going to be the best weekend getaway.

To be continued…


End file.
